Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 03130480 2021-08-17
10
Tap hole plug gun
The invention relates to a tap hole plug gun comprising a material cham-
ber for receiving a plugging compound and a mouthpiece for being
placed on a tap hole, the mouthpiece being connected to the material
chamber or to a nozzle part disposed on the material chamber by means
of an unlockable connection device.
Tap hole plug guns of the kind mentioned above are used to close the tap
openings of reduction furnaces or smelting furnaces, such as blast fur-
naces for producing pig iron and low-shaft furnaces for smelting nonfer-
rous metals, ferroalloys, etc. During plugging, the tap hole plug gun is
pressed against the front of the furnace with great force by means of a
pivoting device, the contact pressure being maintained until the plugging
compound injected into the tap hole opening of the furnace through the
mouthpiece of the tap hole plug gun has hardened.
To operate the tap hole plug gun, the plugging compound is received in a
material chamber of the tap hole plug gun, which is typically a cylindri-
cal space, and is injected from the material chamber into the tap hole
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-08-17
CA 03130480 2021-08-17
2
opening through the mouthpiece of the tap hole plug gun by means of a
plugging piston. A typically conical nozzle part connected to the materi-
al chamber by means of a connecting device in an exchangeable manner
can be disposed between the material chamber and the mouthpiece to re-
.. duce the diameter of the tap hole plug gun in the area of transition be-
tween the material chamber and the mouthpiece. Great forces act on the
connection device during ejection because of the substantially reduced
diameter in the section from the nozzle part to the mouthpiece, two es-
sential requirements to be met by the connecting device being that the
connection device has to be easy to detach for replacement of the nozzle
part while being stable enough to reliably absorb the forces acting during
ejection without impairing detachability.
Another unlockable connection device can be provided between the noz-
zle part and the mouthpiece, while the mouthpiece can also be connected
.. directly to the material chamber by means of an unlockable connection
device, i.e., without an interposed nozzle part, if the tap hole plug gun is
a smaller tap hole plug gun whose material chamber has a comparatively
small diameter.
WO 2011/089054 Al discloses a tap hole plug gun having a nozzle part
connected to the material chamber via a flange connection. In the known
tap hole plug gun, another flange connection is provided between the
nozzle part and the mouthpiece. The flange connections connect the noz-
zle part to the material chamber and the nozzle part to the mouthpiece in
a connection plane perpendicular to the ejecting direction, connecting
bolts distributed across the circumference of the tap hole plug gun and
extending parallel to the ejecting direction connecting two opposite
flanges disposed on the material chamber and on the nozzle part and on
the nozzle part and the mouthpiece so as to realize the flange connec-
tions. Since the connecting bolts extend parallel to the ejecting direc-
tion, their number and size have to be such that the ejection forces can
be safely transmitted via the bolts without this endangering the sealing
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-08-17
88851685
3
of the tap hole plug gun in the connection plane or there even being a risk of
the components of
the bolt connections failing.
The large number of bolt connections distributed across the circumference of
the tap hole plug
gun for realizing the flange connections results in a corresponding amount of
installation work
when exchanging the nozzle part or the mouthpiece or when servicing the tap
hole plug gun,
which requires only temporary removal of the mouthpiece for accessing the
discharge opening of
the material chamber or of the nozzle part.
Hence, the object of the present invention is to propose a tap hole plug gun
that has a connection
device formed between the mouthpiece and the material chamber or between the
mouthpiece and
a nozzle part potentially disposed on the material chamber, said connection
device making a
reliable mechanical connection possible while allowing the mouthpiece to be
exchanged or the
tap hole plug gun to be serviced with relatively little installation effort.
According to the invention, there is provided a tap hole plug gun comprising a
material chamber
for receiving a plugging compound and a mouthpiece for being placed on a tap
hole, the
mouthpiece being connected to the material chamber via a nozzle part disposed
on the material
chamber by means of an connection device, wherein the connection device is
realized as a
hinged joint arrangement, the hinged joint arrangement having two opposite
hinged joints each
having a joint bolt which connects a joint plate arrangement of the nozzle
part to a joint plate
arrangement of the mouthpiece and can be removed from the connection to the
joint plate
arrangements, the joint bolts having, at least in sections, a wedge portion
which is wedge-shaped
in the direction of a joint axis, and one joint plate of each hinged joint
being provided with a
jamb portion of a joint eyelet for receiving the wedge portion of the joint
bolt, said jamb portion
being wedge-shaped in the direction of the joint axis.
According to the invention, the connection device is realized as a hinged
joint arrangement
between the mouthpiece and the material chamber or between the mouthpiece and
the nozzle
part, the hinged joint arrangement having two opposite hinged joints each
having a joint bolt
which connects a joint plate arrangement of the nozzle part to a joint plate
arrangement of the
mouthpiece and can be removed from the connection to the joint plate
arrangements, the joint
bolts having, at least in sections, a wedge portion which is wedge-shaped in
the direction of a
joint axis, and a joint plate of each hinged joint being provided with a jamb
portion of a joint
Date recue/Date received 2023-03-24
88851685
3a
eyelet for receiving the wedge portion of the joint bolt, said jamb portion
being wedge-shaped in
the direction of the joint axis.
Date recue/Date received 2023-03-24
CA 03130480 2021-08-17
4
A hinged joint arrangement of this configuration for detachably connect-
ing the mouthpiece to the material chamber or to the nozzle part enables
easy removal of the mouthpiece by removing the joint bolts. During
maintenance, removing only one of the joint bolts is an option, which
means that there is a choice between which of the opposite hinged joints
is to serve as a pivot bearing for pivoting the mouthpiece open or closed.
The hinged joint arrangement according to the invention enables an iden-
tical configuration of the two opposite hinged joints.
Moreover, the interaction of the wedge portions of the joint bolts with
the associated wedge-shaped jamb portions on the joint eyelets of the
joint plates allows an axial sealing force to be achieved between oppo-
site axial ends of the nozzle part and of the mouthpiece.
A particularly reliable configuration of the hinged joint arrangement be-
comes possible if the joint plate arrangements of the nozzle part each
have two joint plates which are disposed at a vertical distance and be-
tween which a joint plate of the mouthpiece is disposed so as to realize
the hinged joint, said joint plate having the joint eyelet with the wedge-
shaped jamb portion.
Preferably, an axial engagement device is formed between opposite axial
connecting edges of the nozzle part and of the mouthpiece, a defined ra-
dial relative alignment of the nozzle part and of the mouthpiece thus be-
ing present independent of the hinged joint arrangement.
Simultaneous radial sealing becomes possible if the engagement device
has a ring web which is formed on one connecting edge and engages into
a complementary ring groove formed on the other connecting edge.
Preferably, the ring web has a truncated cross section, which enables an
axial sealing force and a radial sealing force simultaneously.
Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the invention will be explained
in more detail with reference to the drawing.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-08-17
CA 03130480 2021-08-17
Fig. 1 is an isometric illustration of a tap hole plug gun compris-
ing a nozzle part disposed between a material chamber and
a mouthpiece;
Fig. 2 shows the tap hole plug gun of Fig. 1 with a mouthpiece
5 removed from the nozzle part;
Fig. 3 is a partial side view of the tap hole plug gun illustrated
in Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section view of the tap hole plug gun il-
lustrated in Fig. 3;
Fig. 5 is an isometric illustration of the material chamber with
an axial connecting projection formed on the lower part of
the material chamber;
Fig. 6 shows the material chamber of Fig. 5 with a nozzle part
disposed in the installed position above the connecting
projection;
Fig. 7 shows the nozzle part of Fig. 1 with the mouthpiece con-
nected to it via a hinged joint arrangement;
Fig. 8 shows the mouthpiece of Fig. 7 during an installation
stage;
Fig. 9 is a side view of the mouthpiece illustrated in Fig. 8;
Fig. 10 shows the hinged joint arrangement of Figs. 7 and 8 with
a mouthpiece pivoted about a hinged joint;
Fig. 11 is a bottom view of the tap hole plug gun illustrated in
Fig. 4.
Fig. 1 shows a tap hole plug gun 20 illustrated with its essential compo-
nents, tap hole plug gun 20 comprising a material chamber 21 realized as
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-08-17
CA 03130480 2021-08-17
6
a hollow cylinder as seen in particular from the illustration in Fig. 4,
material chamber 21 serving to receive a plugging compound filled into
material chamber 21 via a filling opening (not shown), compacted in ma-
terial chamber 21 by means of a piston 22 guided in material chamber
.. 21, and discharged into a tap hole of a furnace installation (not shown)
from a mouthpiece 24 connected to material chamber 21 via a nozzle part
23, mouthpiece 24 being independent from nozzle part 23 in the embod-
iment of tap hole plug gun 20 at hand.
Nozzle part 23 enables a reduction of the inner diameter of tap hole plug
gun 20 as required for the area of transition from material chamber 21 to
mouthpiece 24, and for this purpose is truncated, in particular obliquely
truncated in the exemplary embodiment at hand. As can be understood in
particular from the illustration in Fig. 4, great axial forces resulting
from the compression forces exerted on the plugging compound by piston
22 act on a connection device 25 formed between material chamber 21
and nozzle part 23 during compression of the plugging compound in ma-
terial chamber 21 when tap hole plug gun 20 is in operation. As shown in
Fig. 6, connection device 25 has an axial connecting projection 28 on an
axial connecting edge 26 of a chamber wall 27 of material chamber 21
and a connecting projection 30 on an axial connecting edge 54 of a noz-
zle wall 29 of nozzle part 23 for establishing a form-fitting connection
between material chamber 21 and nozzle part 23.
As becomes clear in particular from a combined view of Figs. 5 and 6,
connecting projection 30 of nozzle part 23 is formed on an upper part 31
of nozzle part 23 and connecting projection 28 of material chamber 21 is
formed on a lower part 32 of material chamber 21, connecting projection
of nozzle part 23 thus resting on connecting projection 28 formed on
material chamber 21, a form-fitting radial engagement being established
between connecting projection 30 of nozzle part 23 and a connecting
30 edge portion 33 on an upper part 34 of material chamber 21 on one side
and between connecting projection 28 of material chamber 21 and a con-
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-08-17
CA 03130480 2021-08-17
7
necting edge portion 35 on a lower part 36 of nozzle part 23 on the other
side.
As becomes clear from a comparison of Figs. 6 and 2, which show nozzle
part 23 in a relative position immediately prior to the establishment of
the form-fitting engagement (Fig. 6) and in a relative position immedi-
ately after the establishment of the form-fitting engagement (Fig. 2),
nozzle part 23 is already secured in its relative position in connection
with material chamber 21 under the influence of gravity once the form-
fitting engagement has been established. In order to also secure the rela-
position illustrated in Fig. 2 when compression forces are acting on
nozzle part 23, a radially acting securing device 37 is provided in addi-
tion to the form-fitting engagement, said securing devices 37 having re-
spective bolt connections 40, 41 (Fig. 1) on opposite horizontal connect-
ing edge portions 38, 39 (Fig. 6), said bolt connections 40, 41 connect-
ing two opposite connecting tabs 42 and 43 formed on connecting edge
portion 38 of connecting projection 30 of nozzle part 23 and on connect-
ing edge portion 39 of connecting projection 28 of material chamber 21,
respectively, by means of a threaded bolt (not shown).
Hence, bolt connections 40, 41 secure connecting projections 28, 30 in
their radial position, preventing compression forces occurring in tap hole
plug gun 20 from severing the form-fitting engagement established be-
tween connecting projections 28, 30 and serving to absorb the axial por-
tion of the compression forces.
For realizing the form-fitting engagement, a ring segment web 45
(Fig. 4) is formed on a connecting edge portion 44 on connecting projec-
tion 30 of nozzle part 23 on the radial interior of nozzle wall 29, said
ring segment web 45 engaging into a ring web groove 47 (Fig. 5) formed
on a connecting edge portion 46 on upper part 34 of material chamber 21
on the radial exterior of chamber wall 27.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-08-17
CA 03130480 2021-08-17
8
As shown in Fig. 4, a ring segment web 49 is formed in a connecting
edge portion 48 on lower part 36 of nozzle part 23 on the radial exterior
of nozzle wall 29, said ring segment web 49 engaging into a ring seg-
ment groove 51 formed on a connecting edge portion 50 on connecting
projection 28 of material chamber 21 on the radial interior of chamber
wall 27.
As can be seen in particular from the illustration in Fig. 5, radially inner
ring segment groove 51 formed in connecting projection 28 of material
chamber 21 extends across a circumferential angle of > 1800 in such a
manner that during establishment of the engagement, opposite groove
ends 52, 53 of ring segment groove 51 can serve to form vertical guides
for ends of ring segment web 45 which are formed on connecting projec-
tion 30 of nozzle part 23 and accordingly extend in the vertical direc-
tion.
As can be seen in particular from Fig. 3, bolt connections 40, 41 are con-
figured in such a manner that a bolt that connects connecting tabs 42, 43
in a force-fitting manner along a bolt axis 55 and is preferably realized
as a threaded bolt 75 is protected against external influences on the side
facing the mouthpiece 24 by a protective device 56 formed by protective
webs 57, 58 realized vertically on connecting tabs 42 and simultaneously
enabling flexural rigidity of connecting tabs 42.
A shielding device 76 is disposed on lower part 32 of material chamber
21 and on lower part 36 of nozzle part 23, in particular for protection
against heat radiation emitted against tap hole plug gun 20 below tap
hole plug gun 20.
As can be seen in particular from the sequence of Figs. 7 to 10, mouth-
piece 24 is realized as a component that is independent from nozzle part
23 in the case at hand, a hinged joint arrangement 59 being provided for
connecting mouthpiece 24 to nozzle part 23, hinged joint arrangement 59
having two opposite hinged joints 60, 61 each having a joint plate ar-
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-08-17
CA 03130480 2021-08-17
9
rangement 64 composed of two parallel joint plates 62, 63 and a joint
plate arrangement 66 of nozzle part 23 formed by a single joint plate 65,
both joint plate arrangements 64, 65 being connected via a joint bolt 67.
As shown in Fig. 10, joint plate 65 disposed on mouthpiece 24 has a
jamb portion 68 of a joint eyelet 69, said jamb portion 68 being wedge-
shaped in the direction of a joint axis 77 and having a wedge shape com-
plementary to a wedge portion 70 (Fig. 9) of joint bolt 67 in such a man-
ner that when joint bolt 67 is disposed in hinged joints 60, 61, joint bolt
67 connects joint plate arrangement 64 of nozzle part 63 to joint plate 65
of mouthpiece 24, as shown in Fig. 7, in such a manner that wedge por-
tion 70 is disposed in joint eyelet 69 of joint plate 65 and is connected to
joint plate 65 in a non-rotating manner.
In the configuration illustrated in Fig. 7, both opposite hinged joints 60,
61 are provided with joint bolt 67 for forming joint axis 77, which means
that mouthpiece 24 is fixated relative to nozzle part 23 and can be intro-
duced into the tap hole by an advancing movement of tap hole plug gun
20, if required.
In the event that one of the two joint bolts 67 is removed from one of
hinged joints 60 or 61, mouthpiece 24 can pivot on one side about joint
axis 77, which is formed by joint bolt 67 remaining in hinged joint 60 or
61, for maintenance purposes, for example. Thus, as illustrated in
Fig. 11, mouthpiece 24 can selectively pivot about a joint axis 77 in one
direction or the other.
As can be seen from Fig. 10, an engagement device is formed between
opposite axial connecting edges 71 and 72 of nozzle part 23 and of
mouthpiece 24, respectively, said engagement device being composed of
a ring web 73 formed on connecting edge 71 of nozzle part 23 on one
side and of a ring groove 74 formed on connecting edge 72 of mouth-
piece 24 on the other side and enabling radial sealing of the connection
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-08-17
CA 03130480 2021-08-17
established between nozzle part 23 and mouthpiece 24 by hinged joint
arrangement 59.
Preferably, ring web 73 has a truncated cross-section that is complemen-
tary to the cross-section of ring groove 74. The wedge effect made pos-
5 sible between jamb portions 68 of joint plates 65 and wedge portions 70
of joint bolts 67 can generate an axial sealing force between nozzle part
23 and mouthpiece 24 by inserting joint bolts 67 into joint eyelets 69 of
joint plates 65, an effectively sealing position of mouthpiece 24 and
nozzle part 23 relative to each other being achieved by means of said
10 axial sealing force.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-08-17
